Of Unbearable Tension and the Inability to Breath
by A.J.Kester
Summary: A simple one-shot where Hei and Yin sort out the fact that they have feelings for each other.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters or content for Darker Than BLACK.

**A.N.: **Hello to anyone new to my stories and welcome! If you follow my work, you might be waiting for the next update of my long-running story A Court of Guns and Glass. If you are, I thank you for your patronage and apologize that this not only marks one, but two new one-shots to be posted as a way for me to try and become unstuck from the rut I feel like I'm in. As always, review if you like and I hope that you enjoy the piece!

I scratch the back of my head as I walk. I'm tired, incredibly tired. Too tired, I don't know why anyone in their right mind would let me work like I've been. But then again, no one commands me, and I'm not in my right mind.

I kick the door to the apartment closed and drop my trench coat on the floor. As I walk further into the rooms, I lose more pieces of clothing until I'm in nothing but my boxers and I'm standing in the threshold of my bedroom. But I stand, frozen at the threshold, not yet allowing myself to collapse into bed. No, something has stopped me. Well, not something, someone.

I blink in surprise as I stare at the small gray-haired girl sitting on my bed with her feet dangling above the floor.

"Yin?"

She turns to me, and her unseeing eyes somehow meet mine. "Hei."

The air suddenly feels hot and I find myself beginning to struggle to breath. "What are you doing in here?"

She shrugs. "I thought I would await your return."

"Why?"

She slides off the bed, her thick boots slamming on the wooden floor. "I do not know."

I run a hand through my hair and chuckle to try and relieve some of the unexplainable tension filling the room. Yin remains unblinking in her eye-contact with me. "Okay. Well, I was going to get some sleep."

She nods but doesn't move other than shifting her gaze to the floor. I take a step towards her.

"Do you need something Yin?"

"I am unable to sleep." Her voice is barely above a whisper and I instinctively lean down to her so that I can catch what she's saying.

"Why not?"

"Izanami." The name is a curse and an involuntary shudder runs through me when I hear it.

I lean down further and awkwardly wrap my arms around her shoulders. Her right arm is pinned between my torso and her side, but she reaches up with her left hand and rubs my forearm.

"It's okay, she's gone." Yin nods numbly but remains silent. I take a deep breath. The room still feels unbearably hot. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

She turns and meets my eyes again. I lean away so I can look at her better and she cocks her head. "Maybe…" She starts but shakes her head and looks away again. "No, never mind."

"What is it Yin?"

The smallest of smiles cracks across her normally emotionless face. "I just thought that if we engaged in physical activity it might aid me in my endeavor to sleep. However, the idea is ridiculous."

I didn't think it was possible, but the room is now full of even more tension. So much tension that I feel it pressing down on every molecule of my body. I feel it in my body. I feel this tension deep in my pores, and I know that it is just waiting to explode from me. "What…" I start but lose my nerve. No, I tell myself, I must know what she meant. "What do you mean by physical activity?"

"I thought that perhaps we could engage in battle."

I burst into laughter at that. Laughter that is in retrospect, too hard for the situation, but in the moment feels right. It feels like this tension will strangle me if I don't do something about it, and somehow the laughter has pushed the tension beyond the boundaries of my body. For a moment the room feels less warm, and I think that I might be able to catch my breath if I could stop laughing. But it seems that now that I've begun to laugh, I am unable to stop. I laugh so hard that I fall to my knees next to her. She shifts and fully turns to me when my elevation changes, so we are now face to face. It's strange, her body is cool to the touch, but the fraction of space where our skin manages to connect feels like it's on fire. I feel like she's burning me, but for some reason that only makes me want to touch her more.

"What is so funny about physical altercation?"

Eventually I am able to calm my laughter enough to speak to her. "Nothing, that's just not what I thought you'd say. And you have to admit, it sounds a little absurd doesn't it? Me, a grown contractor attack you, a blind teenage doll."

"I am fully grown Hei."

I wipe tears from my eyes. "I know you are. I'm sorry."

I lift my head from where it has sunk into my chest and find myself eye-level with Yins. I swallow hard as any remaining laughter dies on my lips. Now suddenly all of the pressure is back, and I begin to sweat. I didn't notice how close we were standing. I let my arms drop from her shoulders and shift backwards in an attempt to try and cool down.

"So, in conclusion," I curse at the hoarseness of my voice. I cough to try and clear it. "I will not be hitting you tonight." Despite my efforts, I'm still rasping.

"Are you sick?" She takes my face between her small hands and my heart skips a beat.

"What? No. Why would I be sick?" She leans down so our faces are only a breath apart.

"You sound strange. Like you perhaps have phlegm."

I put my hands back on her shoulders and try to push her away. She won't have that though and holds her ground. I can't breathe again, the stifling tension combined with the heat of her breath have clouded my mind. And not to mention, she's so close I can smell her. She smells like saltwater, like fresh rain, and something unplaceable, something that's just Yin. I must get away from her, I have to get away from her, to be able to breath and maybe stop sweating so profusely, but she won't let me move.

"I'm don't have phlegm." I sound like I'm dehydrated. Like I've never known what it is to have my thirst clenched.

Her brow furrows. "Your face is warm." She drops one of her hands down and presses it against my chest. "And your heart is rapid and irregular. Something is wrong with you Hei. Perhaps you should see a doctor."

She goes to walk past me, but I stop her with an arm around her waist. I have no idea why I have now grabbed her, she was finally going to leave me be. But it is as if my arm has its own mind and has now acted on its own accord. "It's fine. I'm fine Yin. Just tired."

"You do not seem tired."

"Yes, but that's it. That's the issue. I'm just tired. I'll be fine after a goodnights sleep."

"Do you require water?"

"Water! Yes, water would be marvelous. Could you go get me some?"

She nods and slips out od my grasp. As soon as she's left the room I fall onto my hands, panting. Never, never in my life has such a thing happened to me. I don't understand it. I don't know what to do. All I know is that I want Yin to touch me. I know that I want to touch her.

I somehow manage to get myself up and sitting on my bed. I sit with my feet flat on the floor, my elbows on my knees, and my hands in my hair. I sit and I try to rectify everything that's been happening between Yin and myself.

There was always this link between the two of us, but since I separated her from Izanami and brought her back it's been different. Although where did I bring her? We're in hiding, trying to keep a low profile while everything calms down. Yes, I am working like a dog, but I'm just doing the same old odd jobs that I always do. But I didn't bring her back to Japan, I just brought her back to me.

She's been different too. More aware, more human. She's making her own decisions and thinking for herself. She frequently tells me of her feelings. I don't think she's stopped being a doll though, I think she's just somehow evolved to be something more.

"Hei?" I jolt upward as I find that she has snuck up on me and is now standing directly in front of my face, a glass of clear liquid in her hand. My mouth goes dry.

I swallow to try and reintroduce some moisture. "Yin." My voice comes out weak and thin, and I curse myself for it.

She puts the glass down on the table next to the bed and leans so that she's squinting into my face. I swear to god, most of the time I could forget that she's blind.

"What is going on?"

I shake my head. "Nothing, it's nothing."

She eases herself down to her knees and takes my larger hands in hers. "No, it is not nothing, tell me. Is it something about the gate?"

I fight the urge to laugh again. "No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

I drop one of her hands and place my hand on the side of her face, my fingers slipping into her hair. I bring my face closer to hers until my forehead rests against her furrowed one. "It's this." My voice is a hoarse whisper, but it still makes her yank herself away from me. My heart sinks.

"You have feelings for me." It's not a question, but I answer anyway.

"Yes."

"Romantic feelings."

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Longer than I know."

She nods. I go to pull my hand away, but she smacks one of her own over it faster than I can blink. "No."

I swallow. "Okay." Something unreadable passes her face, then she shifts so her torso is pressed up against my shins, and her arms are crossed and resting on top of my knees. As per her instructions I haven't moved my hand from her face, but I did bring the other to rest on her shoulder.

She raises herself up, meets my eyes again, and gets the most determined look on her face. "Kiss me."

I stop breathing. My entire body becomes ice and I can't do anything but stare at her.

"Did you hear me?" I nod very slowly. "I want you to kiss me Hei." I still don't move, and something like alarm flashes across her face. "Do you not want to kiss me?" She takes my hands and removes them from her person, it feels like I've lost a finger. She then stands and straightens her purple dress. "I am sorry. I have clearly misread the situation. I will go now. I hope that this does not impede our ability to work together in the future."

Her signature half-smile is the bucket of ice that gets me moving. I've never been more thankful that my legs are longer than hers, because in one swift motion I stand and follow her. It takes two of my steps to overtake her, and as she goes to pull open the door, I slap my hand down on the wood, hard enough to make it creak. She turns to meet my gaze once again.

"Hei? What is going…" I cut her off by wrapping my free arm around her waist and hoisting her up on her toes to me.

Before I can lose my nerve, I press my lips against hers. My body language is pure aggression, but I try hard to keep the kiss soft and sweet. Just a peck and nothing more. I somehow manage to do just that and pull away from her before it gets to graphic. Every cell in my body screams at me for more, but I fight them.

Yin raises her fingers up to first touch her lips and then my own. I press a kiss into them, unable to stop myself. "That was nice." She finally whispers after what feels like years.

I take a deep breath. "Can I kiss you again?"

"I think I would like that."

"So that's a…"

"That is a yes."

I almost cry out in joy as I kiss her again. This one is slightly harder, but no more graphic. And it is Yin who pulls away from it.

Then rather abruptly, she pats me on the chest. "Thank you for humoring my request."

I nod. "Of course."

"I will now go process what this development in our relationship means to me."

I nod again. "Of course. You go do that."

She pats me again. "I will require release in order to achieve this goal."

I blink as I realize that I'm still holding her against the door. I then straighten my own posture, relinquish my grasp around her waist, and back away from the door.

She opens it but stops a second before closing it behind her. She stops and smiles at me. It's a new smile, and one that I've never seen before, but one that I think I could really become familiar with.


End file.
